We'll Be Fine
by Kungfu Kia
Summary: 4 girls at King High have enough to deal with. Drama, homework, getting their lives together and focusing on their love lives. Spencer and Ashley are a happy couple. While Alice struggles to get the new girl, Claire Redfield, to date her. But as life goes on a couple is forced to flee and another gets caught in an unexpected event. Can their love keep them together?
1. Chapter 1

I don't have much to say other than this is a Resident Evil AND South of Nowhere fanfiction. In this story the only age difference is for RE-characters mentioned in this chapter are teenage seniors in high school. I don't know much about South of Nowhere so work with me a bit.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't own Resident Evil or South of Nowhere or this story

I hope you all enjoy.

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_~~*Claire*~~_

It was so hot. Hotter than any day she had experienced in her life. Sweat ran out of the pores in her skin and the moister in her mouth disappeared with each passing second. The redhead's t-shirt was damp but drenched in the areas that she was sweating the most. The sweat covering her body was meant to keep her cool but in the heat of the vehicle it didn't nothing but make her hotter. Claire Redfield ad stopped speaking to everyone in the vehicle hours ago in hopes to save energy in order to stay alive and remain as hydrated as possible. So far it wasn't helping in the slightest. The dry area and the unforgiving rays of the sun seemed to suck the water from the redhead through the Hummer she was in- as if the universe was out to get Claire. And thus became her hatred of the legendary heat of South West America.

Claire blamed her brother's school for the suffering she was going through. Her older brother, Chris Redfield, had been training to become a member of S.T.A.R.S. since his last year in middle school. Chris had taken a ton of fighting lessons, specifically MMA, tae kwon do, and jujitsu. Though he only graduated from MMA recently, he was very good at the other two fighting styles. When Chris transferred from the Raccoon City High School into S.T.A.R.S academy, the school assigned him to an academy on the other side of the country.

Why, out of all the places on Earth, did they have to go there? It wasn't like S.T.A.R.S didn't have other academies or training areas in the other forty-nine states of America. Claire and her family lived four hours away from the academy in Raccoon City. However, Chris insisted that the academy in Los Angeles was the best of the best and-as usual-their mother agreed to move there for him. Claire wasn't jealous or angry at her mother or brother at all. She was just upset that she had to leave behind everything she knew all of her life to begin a new one. The redhead would've been glad if she could stay in Raccoon City with her mostly absent father but knew her place was with her mother and siblings.

Claire's mind was brought of her thoughts when a small draft of cool air swam pass her body. The redhead pouted when it wasn't followed by another draft. It made her heated body begging for more of the precious cool air. It drove her crazy that she had been denied the cool air she sought and she was determined to get more of it. Remembering the direction the wind had come from, Claire leaned forward in her seat to get as much of the air conditioning as possible. As she did so, her seat belt locked and pulled her back to the over-heated leather seat of the Hummer. The redhead groaned loudly and weakly tugged at the seat belt holding her back from the welcoming air conditioner. At that moment, she wished the safety lock on the seat belt didn't exist.

A low chuckle brought Claire out of her halfhearted attempt to break free from the locked seat belt. Claire's head lolled to the side to glare at the long haired blonde next to her. Dahlia, or K-mart, Redfield sat in the seat closest to her older sister and watched the redhead with a small amused smile. K-mart was a senior like Claire, only because she had to be smarter than all the other kids in her class. K-mart was not biologically related to Claire but the redhead couldn't see the blonde as anything but. The blonde, originally being from New Mexico, was used to the blazing heat that Claire was experiencing. The redhead recalled the endless stories K-mart had told her about the intense and unforgiving heat and she could tell they weren't made up. K-mart wasn't sweating as much as Claire or any of the other Redfields were and Claire was envious.

The redhead narrowed her eyes even further at the blonde and muttered "What's so funny blondie?"

K-mart's small smile grew into a full toothy grin "You know you could just unbuckle the seat belt and lean over right?"

Claire rolled her eyes in frustration and fought off the rising embarrassment. She had forgotten about that in the long car ride. Since the windows were newly tinted, courtesy of her brother at the last attempt to keep them cool, it was hard to see if someone was inside or not. So it would be hard to get pulled over for riding without a seatbelt. The redhead gave another weak glare at her sister before unbuckling her seat belt and leaning in the blonde's way. Claire sighed contently as a blast of cool air smacked her in the face, cooling the heat radiating through her body. The cooling sensation was beginning to go through her body and made her forget about the heat in the Hummer.

In the driver's seat, Chris Redfield noticed his redheaded sister lean into the front of the Hummer. The brunette kept his eyes trailed on the road in front of him but couldn't help but slow down for Claire's sake. Since Western Americans don't have an actual speed limit, there was a great chance of Claire to go flying out the window than usual.

"What are you doing up here?" Chris asked with a chuckle

Claire smiled at her brother "Trying to keep cool,"

"Keeping cool," Chris parroted with a smile and glanced at his sister. The older Redfield laughed loudly when he took an actual look at Claire.

Claire's red hair stuck to the sides of her sweaty face and she was beet red. Compared to Chris, whose hair was still fluffy from the hair jell he used and barely sweating, Claire looked insane.

"Damn, what's the matter Claire?" Chris laughed "Can't handle a little heat?"

Claire glared coldly at her brother "A _little_ heat? Do you know how hot it is?"

"Like one hundred degrees," K-mart piped up from behind them

Claire glanced over her shoulder to glare at the blonde "We know K, thanks,"

"I just can't believe you're sweating so much," Chris declared

"Coming from the one who gets the breeze from the AC," Claire muttered as she leaned against the passenger seat

"Why didn't you sit somewhere cooler?" Chris questioned

Claire rolled her eyes at the question "Because the passenger seat is full of food and the only other cooler seat is where K-mart is sitting. And she can't move because your stab dummy Tom is sitting on the other side,"

Chris's brows furrowed as he casted a quick glance into the back of the Hummer. Claire knew the older Redfield had spotted his stab dummy that he got from their dad. K-mart thought it would be rude to shove a 'human like object' into the cramped space behind the back seat and set it in the back seat. Chris didn't object to the blonde's reasoning but told them the front passenger seat would be for snacks. Claire, not really caring about the seat arrangements at the time, agreed and stupidly climbed into the Hummer last.

"If it helps," K-mart piped up "You can use a hair tie for your hair Claire,"

Claire leaned away from the open space and back into her hot seat. K-mart took a hair tie from her wrist and held it out to Claire, who took it. The redhead tied up her hair into a ponytail with several strands of hair escaping her grasp. Once her hair was tied up, Claire could feel a bit cooler than she previously was and it made her sigh in content.

"Thanks K," Claire smiled at her sister "It helped a lot,"

K-mart beamed at Claire "No problem Claire,"

The redhead leaned back into the middle space between the front of the Hummer and the back. Claire hummed happily as the cool air hit the newly exposed skin.

"Can we stop somewhere and cool off?" Claire asked, knowing her newly found cooling situation wouldn't last forever

"I don't think so. We are a few miles from L.A. How about this, I'll buy us some ice cream then we'll meet with mom at the house," Chris suggested and glanced at Claire then K-mart "Sound good?"

Claire and K-mart exchanged a look. The blonde gave her older sister a hopeful look which Claire responded with a small smile and a nod.

"Sounds good," The two agreed

~~*_Spencer_*~~

Spencer sat on the plush couch in her living room with her chemistry textbook in her lap while her girlfriend sat in front of her on the other couch. The blonde was working on an personal finance worksheet that was in her textbook while Ashley used a folder to write on as she worked on the same worksheet. The two were working on their homework in preparation for a test they would the following Monday. Spencer had offered to help Ashley with her finance homework but said brunette was positive she could solve it on her own. The blonde willing backed off but promised to help if it was needed. Since then Spencer had been telling Ashley if she had gotten the answer right on the fifteenth problem of the assignment. So far Ashley was wrong every time.

"Forty," Ashley informed sounding hopeful

Spencer grinned happily; her girlfriend was very close to the answer. Though the brunette didn't get it right, she was improving in solving finance problems. The blonde frowned a bit when she would have to tell Ashley it was wrong…again.

"Nope not forty," Spencer informed as she glanced up at Ashley "But you're getting better,"

Ashley's hopeful look fell into one of frustration. Spencer offered a sheepish smile before looking back down at the worksheet in her textbook.

"Keep trying Ashley," Spencer encouraged

"Oh my god Spence, just tell me the answer!" Ashley demanded

"Can't do that," Spencer replied seriously

A loud groan of frustration sounded in the room bringing a smile to Spencer's lips. There was sound of shuffling that made Spencer glance at her girlfriend. The brunette was lying on her back with her arms behind her head.

"I don't see why _I _have to do this," Ashley huffed "I will be famous and have a financial advisor. There's no need for me to learn this,"

Spencer looked up from her work with a raised eyebrow "You have to learn it to graduate high school,"

Ashley hummed and turned her body so that she was facing Spencer "Then I'll just get my GED,"

"This will be on the GED," Spencer assured "You might as well just learn it now so you won't have to drop out of school for nothing,"

"It wouldn't be for nothing," Ashley quickly countered "I'll use my free time to work on my singing career,"

Spencer tilted her head "But don't you want your high school diploma?"

"You don't need a high school diploma to sing," Ashley informed "Look at Beyoncé,"

Spencer frowned at Ashley but not in disappointment. The blonde wanted the best for her girlfriend and wanted the brunette to want to go for the best of things. The thought of Ashley dropping out of high school for her GED made her heart sink. Education was very important and for Ashley not to have one set her at a disadvantage.

"Will you at least try to do this worksheet though?" Spencer asked hopefully then when Ashley opened her mouth she added "For me,"

Ashley seemed to think about it, her brows were furrowed and her eyes were clouded with thought.

"It's just one worksheet babe," Ashley stated after a minute "There'll be other worksheets to do,"

"But education starts now," Spencer reasoned and pouted "Please just try to complete this one. You are so close to the answer,"

Ashley stared at her girlfriend and Spencer could see the brunette soften under her pout. Spencer was close to winning the brunette over until a part of Ashley started to fight back.

"Stop that," Ashley demanded

Spencer continued to pout, wanting her girlfriend to try her best at doing the assigned work.

"Come on you know how powerful that pout is," Ashley stated

Spencer gently set her text book aside and began to walk closer to Ashley "Please Ashley,"

Ashley stared at Spencer the entire time and didn't look away when Spencer sat on the arm of the couch.

"Fine," Ashley sighed loudly, causing Spencer to smile

"Great," Spencer said and began to go back to her seat

"Hey can I get a kiss for that?" Ashley whined

Spencer shook her head and glanced at the frowning brunette "Not until you finish the assignment,"

As the blonde began situating herself in her seat, she missed the mischievous smile take over her girlfriends' frown. Spencer hummed in thought at the new problem before her. The blonde wasn't sure how to solve the complex problem until it all clicked in her mind.

"Twenty-five," Ashley declared out of nowhere

Spencer shook her head as she wrote down the steps to solving the question "Not twenty-five either,"

"Thirty-nine," Ashley guessed after some silence

Spencer noticed how Ashley's voice had gotten louder but thought it was out of frustration and ignored it. The blonde kept writing and only shook her head at her girlfriend. Spencer looked up at the fifteenth problem on the worksheet and saw that thirty-nine was not the answer; it was forty-five.

"Close but not the answer," Spencer said, trying to offer some motivation

"Seventy-seven," Ashley stated immediately after Spencer spoke

"You're not even trying to solve the problem now," Spencer chuckled as she set down her pencil

Before the blonde could tell what was happening, her book was ripped from her lap and replaced with the body of her girlfriend. Arms snaked around her neck as Spencer looked up to meet Ashley's eyes.

"Why'd you do that?" Spencer mock pouted "I was almost finished,"

Ashley smirked seductively at Spencer and lowered her head until her lips were inches from Spencer's.

"I figured we could take a quick break," Ashley whispered and pecked Spencer on the lips

Spencer reached up for more of Ashley's soft lips when her phone started ringing. Ashley groaned quietly and leaned away from Spencer.

"Are you kidding me?" Ashley grumbled

Spencer offered a small smile to the brunette as she got her phone from her pocket. The blonde smiled when she saw the text message from Alice and opened it.

_From Alice:_

_Time 2 end the hw period~meet me Suzanna's ice cream?_

"Who's that?" Ashley asked

"It's Alice," Spencer stated

"What does she want?" Ashley questioned, sounding annoyed

"She wants to meet up," Spencer replied "Do you want to?"

"Hell no," Ashley said and took the phone from Spencer

The blonde didn't object to the movement and wrapped her arms back around Ashley's waist as the brunette sent a quick message. Spencer hoped Ashley would be nice to Alice, after all the three of them barely had time to hang out anymore.

"Now she'll be out of our hair," Ashley grinned victoriously, setting Spencer's phone beside them

"What'd you say to her?" Spencer questioned, feeling the brunette didn't say something too nice

"It doesn't matter," Ashley chuckled and kissed Spencer

~~*_Alice_*~~

_From Spencer:_

_no dnt txt us again_

Alice narrowed her eyes at the text message she had received from Spencer's phone. Ashley's evil ass must've high-jacked Spencer's phone during their 'homework' session…again. The blonde made the screen of her phone black and put it back in its place in her jean pocket. Alice buried the feeling of sadness and replaced it with indifference. Though she'd never admit it, Alice was beginning to get a little lonely. Ever since senior year began a few months ago, everyone has been busy spending time with their significant other or trying to find a career to purse. Alice, on the other hand, was busy avoiding certain guys at school and helping her friend's dad, Mr. Ashford, perfect his 'cure'. With everyone on a different schedule, Alice could barely find time to hang out with any of them. When Alice had free time, her friends were on dates and when her friends weren't on dates, Alice was busy with Mr. Ashford or doing other things. Although ninety-five percent of all her attempts to hang out with her friends had failed, Alice and her friends kept trying.

"How's the staring contest with the floor?" A voice chuckled

Alice, having being knocked off her train of thought, realized she was staring right at the floor. At first her brows furrowed in confusion as she thought for a moment the floor was talking to her, until she remembered where she was. Alice was staring at the green and white tile floor of Suzanna's Ice Cream. Alice vaguely recalled wanting some ice cream earlier that day and could easily recall Mr. Ashford dropping her off. Someone, obviously not the floor, must've spoken to her.

The blonde looked up from the floor and up at the only cashier at the long serving counter-Aiden Dennison. Aiden's black hair was hidden under a mint green hat and his eyes held amusement. Alice rolled her eyes as she inhaled deeply. She loved Aiden-she really did, but only as an older, annoying brother. But the black haired boy couldn't take a hint. Alice was gay; gayer than Ashley and Spencer and probably the biggest lesbian on earth. Yet Aiden kept trying to woo her into dating him. Either he didn't believe her since she had used to same excuse to get out of dating him in the pass or he knew she was Ashley's friend and thought she refused to date him because of that.

"Is there another cashier I can go to?" Alice asked, looking around the ice cream place

"Not really," Aiden smiled then put on his best consideration face "Unless you go to any other ice cream joint,"

Alice hummed in thoughts as she pretended to weight her options. The blonde, however, already knew what to say in response. Alice made a loud, excited sigh leave her mouth with a smile that made Aiden smile widely at her.

"Point me in its direction and I'll be on my way," Alice assured with a serious expression

Aiden frowned a bit but didn't lose his good humor as he said "Ah come on you can't want to get away from me that bad,"

"Oh I do," Alice corrected with a nod of her head "Now the name of the next ice cream shop…,"

Aiden frowned at Alice for a second before a thoughtful smile spread across his lips. _Great he's got a plan;_ Alice thought and started to step out of line until Aiden called to her, making the blonde halt her movement.

"I'll make you a deal," Aiden started with his hands out, palms facing Alice

Alice inhaled deeply, crossed her arms over her chest, and waited for Aiden to explain his deal. Aiden seemed to catch on quickly and began to speak.

"You want ice cream from here right?" Aiden asked

Alice nodded "Why else would I be here?"

"And since you don't know where the next ice cream joint is it'll take a while to find it," Aiden continued

Alice narrowed her eyes in aggravation, her patience was wearing thin; especially since it was extremely hot today "Aiden, what's your point?"

"You order what you want, I ring it up; you get your ice cream and go. No flirting, no smirks, just business," Aiden clarified

Alice stared hard at the eighteen year old before her. Her eyes were no longer narrow as she examined him as if she was a predator and he was her prey. The blonde tilted her head to the side in thought. Aiden did seem serious and he wasn't known to break any deals that he makes but she was going to be sure.

"No flirting?" Alice asked slowly

"None," Aiden assured with a quick shake of his head

"No smirks?" Alice interrogated, watching Aiden closely

"Just the half ass smile and the 'How may I help you' then 'Have a good day' quote," Aiden informed with a straight face "Can we start this over?"

Alice huffed and dropped her arms to her side. Aiden was being honest, after all and she really wanted her usual order of ice cream-badly. The blonde tucked some of her short blonde hair behind her ear and walked back into her place in line.

"Hey," Alice stated, starting over like Aiden had asked

"How may I help you?" Aiden questioned with a half assed smile

Alice grinned at the male, who never ceased to amaze her "I would like-"

"A large vanilla ice cream cone with sprinkles and cherry juice on top," Aiden guessed

Alice snorted "Remembering the ice cream favorites of all your customers?"

Aiden shrugged, concealing the smile he so badly wanted to show, and typed in Alice's order.

"It's going to be-" Aiden began

"$4.43 and tip which is a dollar," Alice finished, pulling out the money from her wallet

Keeping to the deal, Aiden just nodded his head and took the money for the ice cream.

"It'll be ready at the pick-up space," Aiden informed

"Will you be there?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow

Aiden shook his head and motioned to the customers around them with his head "I have people to please,"

Alice nodded and walked over to the pick-up counter. _Well that went very well, _Alice thought. The blonde smirked inwardly as she remembered her second reason for coming here. The brunette teen that worked at the pick-up counter was good looking. Her hair was black and always in curls left to hang down her back and cover her shoulders. Her eyes were a soft brown and her boobies were huge. The brunette was tan, giving her the look of a Hispanic person. The blonde wouldn't mind being with someone so good looking but knew that the relationship wouldn't last. So Alice flirted with the brunette every time she came in then avoided the shop for some time. She enjoyed the game she played with the brunette.

When Alice arrived at the pick-up counter the brunette that tended to the area was nowhere to be seen. The blonde looked down for the bell that usually sat on the countertop and rang it when she found it. Almost immediately, the head of the brunette popped up from behind a machine. Alice smiled at her and she smiled back. The brunette stopped whatever she was doing and walked over to Alice.

"Hi, is it your usual today?" The teen asked, pointing her finger at the blonde

Alice nodded "Yup,"

"Just one moment," The brunette stated

The blonde nodded and watched the brunette's ass as she walked over to the ice cream machine. _Nice, _Alice thought before looking away from the worker and looking around. There was a good amount of people in the building, not over crowded yet not too empty. The blonde looked back to the brunette just in time to see her walking over with the finished ice cream cone.

"Here you go," The brunette said as she handed over the ice cream cone

Alice carefully took the cone and winked at the brunette, who smiled in response.

"Thank you beautiful," Alice purred and flashed the teen a heart stopping smile

The brunette's smile dropped as she stared at Alice, a blush creeping onto her tanned cheeks. Alice chuckled under her breath and started to head for the exit of the building. As she did so, her phone vibrated, signaling either an e-mail or a text since no one actually called her before 12:35 in the afternoon. The blonde pulled her phone from her back pocket while her eyes fell down to stare at the lit screen. She had gotten a text from Spencer-or maybe Ashley the evil queen. Alice hesitated after her thought but clicked on the message anyway.

_From Spencer:_

_Stay there. Ashley & I b there in 15_

_To Spencer:_

_U dnt hav 2 but if u want 2 come ill b here_

Alice put her phone away and directed herself toward the booths in the building. The blonde walked to the back of the ordering line and brought her ice cream to her lips. Before her tongue could slip out from between her lips and lick the vanilla deliciousness, something hard bumped into her from behind causing the ice cream to cover the front of her shirt and into her shirt only to mingle with flesh and her bra. At that moment Alice cursed herself for wearing a tank top and not a shirt then she cursed whoever bumped into her.

"Oh my god," a voice gasped out

Alice's hand crushed the ice cream cone to bits and pieces. She was now furious. The blonde spun around, ready to unleash her anger upon whoever bumped into her until she was greeted by a pair of apologetic blue eyes and red hair. The redhead had her hair tied into a neat ponytail and wore a blue t-shirt and jean shorts. Alice took in the sight of the redhead and her anger was pushed aside with awe. The blue eyes drew Alice in when she looked up at them again. The blonde started to get lost in them the longer she looked into them. Alice was pushed out of the blue orbs when a pair of hands covered the mouth of the person before her.

"I am s-so sorry," The redhead stuttered then pulled her hands away from her mouth "I didn't k-know you were behind me,"

Alice blinked a few times to break herself of the spell she fell under before clearing her throat "It's alright. Uh just make sure you don't bump into anyone else,"

The blonde looked down at her tank top and at what the ice cream had done to it. The black color of the top wasn't ruined yet. Alice quickly began to think of ways to clean her top without having to get the whole thing wet.

"I am so sorry about your top," The redhead apologized again then started to ramble

"No it's fine," Alice interrupted and looked up at the redhead "It's black; it'll be fine when I wipe this stuff off,"

"I should buy you a new one," The redhead declared

Alice shook her head. The blonde wasn't about to let the redheaded beauty spend money on her. Alice had plenty of money so buying another ice cream cone wouldn't be a problem.

"It's alright," Alice stated "I can get another,"

The redhead shook her head "You have to let me buy you another ice cream cone, it's the least I can do for bumping into you,"

"I take it you won't take 'no' for an answer," Alice guessed with a lazy smirk

The redhead gave Alice a cute smile and shook her head "You got that right,"

"Just let me clean up before you buy me one," Alice chuckled

"Of course," The redhead assured

The blonde nodded at the redhead and started to make her away toward the bathroom.

"I'm Claire by the way," The redhead called

Alice stopped walking and turned around to smile at Claire. Alice thought the name suited the redhead nicely.

"Alice," Was all the blonde said before she continued on her way to the bathroom

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	2. Chapter 2

_Hello. Yeah it's been a while and I'm sorry. This chapter is way longer than the last so I hope it'll make you all happy that I was away so long. Ahaha I'm joking but it is longer than last chapter. _

_This is my Happy New Year present to you all. So Happy New Year and I hope you all will be good this new year._

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing_

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Alice.

That was a pretty name, almost good enough to compliment how the blonde looked. Just like the woman that played Alice in the movie _Alice and Wonderland_ although the real, tangible Alice was beautiful. Claire smiled at her thoughts and took her eyes away from the bathroom door Alice had just gone through. The redhead couldn't believe she had bumped into the blonde, Alice. It wasn't like her to be so unaware of her surroundings and so stupid. The worst part of it was that she hadn't even realized what she was doing until it was too late.

_*~Flashback~*_

_Claire walked into the ice cream parlor and immediately began to look around the building. The walls were a faded mint green with occasional black spirals. The booths and chairs were decorated with black cushions with green and white dots. The floor was covered with tile; the colors were either green or white. The tile was laid in no particular order. It was a very cliché looking ice cream parlor as if it were from a movie scene based in the late 1960's. But it was nice nonetheless._

_The redhead pulled down the bottom of her blue shirt and headed to the cash registers. There was only one open register and a teenage brunette was working there. Before her was reasonably short line so she had time to think about what to order. Claire began to get closer to the line when a teenager about her age-with her face glued to her phone and holding an ice cream cone-walked passed her. The redhead hardly paid any attention to her until an urge to see what the girl's body shape was entered her brain. On the statement that she would take a peek, Claire looked. _

_As Claire looked at the teenager, her eyes almost immediately caught sight of the pair of hips swaying passing her. Sure enough, she found her eyes glued to them. The redhead carefully watched as the teen's hips moved side to side and her nicely shaped ass move up and down with every step. Claire was so fascinated by the walking teenager that she hadn't even realized that she was following the blonde._

_When the body stopped moving, Claire snapped out of her hypnosis. The redhead was about to stop walking but she had bumped into the other teen. Claire's heart sunk into her chest when the once moving teen didn't respond to the bump._

_ "Oh my god," Claire gasped out_

_The redhead remained frozen in her spot as her hands held onto each other behind her back. The real fear of the situation set in when Claire heard the blonde crush the ice cream cone in her hand. She was so dead. Claire wanted to run away from the blonde and hide under the protection of her brother but something told her not to. _

_Before she got a chance to decide what she wanted to do, the blonde turned around. Claire, though she was still shocked and felt bad about what she did, was caught off guard by the beauty before her. The blonde had very clear bluish green eyes and sharp face. Inside the blonde's eyes, anger danced but it made Claire more fascinated than afraid. Claire's body tensed up when the blonde's eyes ran over her body. She didn't know what to do. Claire wanted to run from the blonde yet she wanted to remain with the blonde. _

_The redhead was waiting for something to come from the blonde. However, instead of a physical movement, the anger Claire saw in the blonde's eyes became to disappear. _

Remember where you are_, Claire's brain called out suddenly._

_The redhead stopped examining the blonde's face as she tried to find a way to speak. Claire's brain would a form a sentence, then loose it and then restart the process. She needed something to say._

Apologize,_ Claire's brain urged._

_ Claire brought her hands up to cover her mouth for a second before dropping them and stuttering out an apology._

_*~Flashback~*_

Claire wanted to smack her palm against her forehead at the memory but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Sure she had bumped into Alice, getting ice cream all over the girl and making her very angry. However, Claire had gotten her name, a smile or two, and now she was going to buy her ice cream. Surely Alice could never forget her.

"Claire," a high pitched call sounded in the parlor

Claire whipped her head toward the sound as quickly as she had heard it. The redhead half hoped that it was Alice but she knew better-the voice was too high for it. Her eyes went in search of the voice and she quickly spotted K-mart, who was skipping toward her followed by a slow walking Chris. The youngest Redfield maneuvered her way around people while Chris waited for them to pass. Claire smiled warmly at her siblings as her body began to preparing to go into panic mode.

"Hey," Claire greeted, turning her body toward her siblings "I thought you guys were going to wait in the Hummer,"

K-mart shrugged as she and Chris came to a stop a good distance from Claire.

"We were until this one," Chris jerked his thumb in K-mart's direction "Started to get impatient,"

"Can you blame me?" K-mart retorted, looking at her brother with narrowed eyes before looking at Claire suspiciously "You've been in here for like…ever,"

The redhead nodded and gave her sister a well-what-can-you-do shrug. Claire was going to open her mouth to assure K-mart and Chris that they would get their ice cream until Chris cut her off.

"Yeah Claire," Chris joined in "What happened?"

Claire began to get a little worried as they all stood there in silence. K-mart and Chris knew she was still trying to figure out her sexuality but she was more afraid of them knowing that she was staring at Alice-who hopefully wouldn't be there while Claire was talking to her siblings-in such a way that distracted her greatly. It wouldn't look too good on her part and with K-mart around-yeah it was best to save the truth for another time, but would need to say something.

_Act as if nothing interesting happened_, Claire's brain called out.

_It's probably too late for that_, Claire thought. She had been silent for a while and Chris and K-mart were exchanging weird looks in front of her eyes.

_Just try, _Claire brain demanded.

Claire mentally nodded while she composed her face and her feelings.

"Uh Claire," Chris called

"Great Chris," K-mart scowled "You broke her,"

"I'm not broken," Claire assured with a playful smile

"Then why were you all," K-mart's voice trailed off as she stared into space

Claire snickered at her sister "I wasn't like that,"

"Actually you were," Chris assured with a small smile

"I wasn't," Claire objected

"Oh come on you so were," K-mart chuckled "It was like something bad happened,"

"Look nothing happened, I was just a bit lost," Claire lied

_Yeah that was real smooth,_ Claire's brain retorted.

The redhead mentally slapped herself for using such a weak excuse to her action. K-mart's brows furrowed while Chris looked at her questionably. The oldest Redfield took a look around, examined a few people then looked at Claire with a knowing smirk. Claire returned the look with a quick glare.

That was one thing Claire hated about her brother, he was too damn smart. He could examine her, take a look around, and within seconds he would know what was going on. K-mart, however, just loved to get people to admit what they were hiding once she knew what they were hiding by messing with their heads-not that she was all too good at finding out what the person was hiding. Claire, at the moment, couldn't decide what was worse at the moment. The redhead was going to start explaining until a voice joined in.

"I see you have company," the vaguely familiar voice of Alice rang out

Claire turned her head to the voice at her right side and smiled when she saw Alice smirking at her. The redhead looked at the blonde over. Her tank top was free of the ice cream and the syrup. Claire sighed in relief at not ruining anything else Alice had with her.

"I guess the damage wasn't too bad," Claire stated happily

Alice nodded and looked down at her tank top "Yeah. It came out easily,"

"Good," Claire replied awkwardly and looked at Alice's chest

Claire could just barely make out the size of Alice's breasts when some sense got knocked into her. She was in a public place with Alice and her family. Now was not the time to check Alice out. The redhead stared for a few more seconds before turning to her siblings. Claire could barely focus on the facial expressions the other Redfields were making; she was too busy trying to get the image of Alice's breasts out her head.

"I guess you spilled some more ice cream on people huh?" Alice joked and glanced at Chris and K-mart before she frowned "I guessed wrong,"

Claire blushed softly while Chris' brows furrowed and K-mart pouted in thought. The redhead could see the gears turning inside K-mart's and Chris's head.

"Spilled more ice cream?" K-mart repeated quietly then gasped before looking at Claire "You spilled ice cream on her!"

Claire felt her heart jump into her throat as if she were a child that had been caught taking cookies from the cookie jar. K-mart and Chris were getting closer to embarrassing her-too close.

"It was an accident," Claire quickly countered

"You rarely have accidents," Chris commented coolly

"Yeah Claire," K-mart joined in with a smug look "Something must've really distracted you,"

Claire felt the need to show her middle finger to her brother and sister but knew it would look suspicious in front of Alice. The redhead was hoping there would magically be a distraction to save her from this confrontation. Now that she thought about it, she most likely won't get one. Claire was never one to have such luck.

"Speaking of which," Alice joined in and looked at Claire "What distracted you?"

All eyes were now turned onto Claire, who wished could look at someone else and ask them the same question. The redhead was not going to get out of this so easily. She needed a plan and quick.

Claire shrugged shyly and bowed her head. _Maybe if I pretend to disappear they'll go away_, Claire hoped and closed her eyes. There was a blissful minute of silence before someone cleared their throat loudly. The redhead opened her eyes and saw that she standing on green and white tiling. Yup, she was still in the parlor.

"Oh Claire don't pull the innocent card," Chris declared "It won't help you,"

Claire looked to her right, trying to gain some form of confidence, when she spotted two girls staring in her direction as they talked. They were both pretty teenagers. The brunette looked a bit mean and dark while the blonde looked bubbly and friendly. The redhead barely realized that her long staring in the one direction caused everyone else to do that same.

"Who are they and why are they staring?" K-mart asked out loud

Claire shrugged at the question, unaware that the question wasn't directed at her.

"Don't worry about it," Alice assured

All head turned toward Alice. Claire saw the small, warm smile on Alice's face as she continued to look at the teenagers. The redhead could only guess that Alice knew them.

"You know them," Claire stated more than asked

"Those are my friends," Alice informed "I'll be right back,"

Claire nodded absentmindedly as she watched Alice walk away. Once again, Claire's eyes were drawn to Alice's swaying hips. The redhead cleared her throat loudly and tore her eyes away from Alice's body. Claire could feel heat settling into her cheeks for staring at Alice like that. The redhead quickly began to get a hold of her emotion when a snicker broke out. Claire looked up and saw Chris grinning mischievously while K-mart held a hand over her mouth as her shoulders shook. Was K-mart really laughing at a moment like this?

"So she must be a big distraction huh?" Chris teased

_~~*Ashley*~~_

"I can't wait," Spencer grinned happily "We actually get to hang out this time,"

Ashley chuckled at her girlfriend's excitement at seeing their friend again. Spencer and Alice had grown extremely close over the years. When the two first met they weren't the best of friends. Alice didn't like how whipped Ashley had become and Spencer felt that Alice wanted to get rid of her. The two blondes had the biggest problem with one another for at least a month and a half before Ashley had to get involved and settle the dispute.

Ever since that bump in the road was smoothed out, the two became the best of friends. One Ashley was busy; the two of them would hang out-at times for hours on end. It reminded Ashley of her relationship with Alice, except she and Ashley were usually rough with one another.

"You do know that you have four classes with her this year, right?" Ashley teased

"I know that," Spencer assured, giving Ashley a loving smile "But ever since summer and senior year started we haven't hung out that much _outside _of school,"

"School started last week," Ashley pointed out "Besides there'll be time for us to hang out throughout the rest of the school year and life,"

The brunette parked her car next to Alice's and shut off the engine. Ashley always loved Suzanna's Ice Cream. The brunette had been there more times than she could count since she was a little girl. Recently, however, Ashley had been avoiding the ice cream shop ever since Aiden was hired as one of the cashiers. The brunette didn't want Aiden interfering with her relationship as he had done already. Aiden had tried to assure her that he was over her, but his behavior told her something else entirely.

A loud slam knocked Ashley off her thoughts as her head whipped toward the location of the sound. The brunette only saw the lower half of Spencer as the blonde pulled down her orange tank top through the window of the closed car door. Ashley shook her head, scattering all of her thoughts, and got out the car as well. The brunette walked to the front of the car and extended her hand out to Spencer. The blonde smiled happily and took the offered hand before they entered the ice cream parlor.

Ashley let out a little shiver when the cold air of the building attacked her skin. The brunette turned her head to the right, hoping to find Alice sitting down at one of the booths with her ice cream and cell phone in hand.

"Found her," Spencer declared

"Where," Ashley muttered, looking at Spencer

Spencer pointed ahead and Ashley looked in the direction. Sure enough Alice was there but she wasn't alone. Alice was standing between a large man and a redheaded teenager. The redhead had her hand down while Alice and the man stared down at her. Ashley's eyes narrowed in suspicion as to why they were all staring at the redhead.

"Who the hell are they?" Ashley questioned

"Ashley," Spencer scowled quietly

"What?" Ashley asked "It's just a question,"

"Be nice," Spencer implored, squeezing Ashley's hand

"I am being nice," Ashley argued "I could've said it to their faces,"

The redhead in the group looked up in their direction. Ashley could feel the awkwardness coming off of Spencer causing her to gently squeeze her girlfriend's hand. The brunette wanted to tell the redhead to get Alice but didn't feel that yelling across the ice cream shop was proper civilian behavior. Therefore Ashley continued to stare. Alice looked over at them and the blonde smiled warmly. Ashley returned the smile with one of her own. She had rarely spent time with Alice since Spencer, school, and her singing career. Even though Ashley didn't treat Alice the best ways, the short haired blonde was her best friend for life and Ashley missed her company.

Alice said something to the trio around her and started her way over. Ashley half expected Spencer to go running over to Alice and was a bit surprised when Spencer remained at her side. The brunette guessed it had something to do with the fact that there were three complete strangers around. Spencer was never one to hang out with Alice's friends because of all the trouble they got in but Spencer didn't know that the trio was not Alice's usual group of friends.

"Hey," Alice greeted once she was in hearing range of the girls

Ashley let go of Spencer's hand before giving Alice a very small hug in greeting.

"Hi Alice," Spencer said and pulled Alice into a hug

The short haired blonde awkwardly returned the full hug as a smile decorated her face. Had Ashley been a bit more like Spencer, she would 'aww' and go on about how cute the two were. When in reality, Ashley could only smile and admire how close her best friend and girlfriend were in silence. After Spencer had finished squeezing most of Alice's life force out, the three of them stood around for a second in silence.

"So who are you're new friends?" Ashley asked, motioning to the arguing two behind her

"Friend actually," Alice corrected, not even glancing back "Redhead Claire bumped into me, killed my ice cream and now her family is here,"

Ashley nodded her head "So not a friend huh?"

"I got her name. Does that make use friends?"

"I wouldn't say so," Ashley stated "What's her name again?"

"Claire,"

"You know the name of the other person?"

Alice shook her head in response and put her hands in the pocket of her jeans. The short haired blonde looked over at Spencer and her brows furrowed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Alice asked

Ashley arched an eyebrow at Alice before turning her head so she could look at Spencer.

"I'm sorry did you say that she bumped into you _and _killed your ice cream?" Spencer rephrased

Ashley's other eyebrow lifted up at accompany the other near her hairline. She hadn't heard the piece of information the first time. Everyone knew; especially Ashley and Spencer, that messing with Alice and her ice cream was social suicide if not actual homicide. After all, Alice had to go through Aiden to get her ice cream and to Alice it was like going to hell. Now it made sense that Spencer was giving her a very confused look.

Alice nodded slowly as she eyed Spencer oddly "I did say those things yes,"

"I'm amazed she's still alive," Ashley chuckled at Alice's expression

Alice rolled her eyes at her friends "What? You think I'll just kill anyone?"

"If they bumped into you then ruined your ice cream day…" Spencer hummed in thought before saying "Yeah,"

"How did she even bump into you?" Ashley questioned with narrowed eyes "Or did you bump into her?"

Alice placed her hand over her heart in mock hurt "How could you accuse me of something so rude?"

Ashley rolled her eyes angrily while Spencer let out a little laugh at Alice's behavior. The brunette was tempted to push Alice harshly but she wouldn't want to upset Spencer. Ashley smiled lightly at the thought of her girlfriend. Spencer was everything Ashley could ever ask for. She was smart, beautiful, bubbly-pretty much the exact opposite of her at times. Ashley sighed happily and just like that her anger was swept away.

"Stop playing around and answer the damn question," Ashley demanded, playfully pushing Alice

Alice barely moved from the weak push but she humored the brunette by moving her shoulder as far back as possible.

"She bumped into me from behind," Alice clarified then added "I was going to rip her head off but I didn't want to get kicked out before I got my ice cream,"

"Well I'm happy you didn't," Spencer declared, patting Alice on the shoulder

Alice mock glared at Spencer, who stuck out her tongue at Alice. Ashley barely noticed the movement. Her mind was racing with questions. The first: how this 'Claire' bumped into Alice? Usually, Ashley was never so suspicious about people or why certain things happen. But after the video stunt with Kayla, Ashley was not willing to trust anyone so easily. Alice was in the middle of saying something to Spencer when Ashley cleared her throat, catching the girl's attention.

"Wait Claire bumped into you from behind?" Ashley interrogated

Alice nodded "Yeah from the back,"

"Was she texting?" Ashley mused

"Don't know honestly," Alice declared and took a quick glance at the two "We should join them. Claire is going to buy me ice cream,"

Ashley hummed in agreement before retaking Spencer's hand. The brunette and the long haired blonde followed behind Alice, who led the way. The closer the got to the two, the quieter they got and soon enough they stopped talking. Ashley couldn't blame them, she would get quiet too if there were strangers approaching. As Ashley eyed them, she soon spotted another body among the two. There was another girl, a blonde. She looked just as bubbly and happy as Spencer, only her eyes were a striking grey. She looked younger than the rest of them.

Alice took her place next to Claire and motioned to Ashley and Spencer.

"Claire and others these are my friends Spencer and Ashley," Alice introduced

Ashley flashed a smile while Spencer gave them a polite wave. The blonde, the male brunette, and Claire waved in return, each with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you," Claire said then pointed to the other blonde and the man "These two are my siblings Chris and K-mart,"

"Nice to meet you two officially," Alice grinned

"Hey Chris and K-mart," Spencer greeted

_K-mart, are you _serious, Ashley thought. Ashley had to admit that she had run into a fair share of odd names but K-mart had to be the weirdest. After all it was the girl's name. Or was it just an often used nickname? Regardless, K-mart looked very friendly and kind so her name wasn't too much of a draw back. Ashley's eyes went from K-mart's kind face to Chris'.

Chris was built like a freaking brick. Seriously, he had more muscle than Aiden and Aiden was pretty muscular. The man was smiling widely at her and kept looking her up and down. Ashley scoffed silently and pulled Spencer a little closer to her. Chris didn't seem to take a hint because he continued to look at her like she was a stake.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Alice decided to break the silence.

"So K-mart, that's your name-like your _real _name?" Alice asked aloud

"Alice," Spencer hissed

Ashley mentally nodded; she wanted an answer to that question too. K-mart didn't look the least bit bothered by the question. The blonde just smiled at Alice and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Maybe she was uncomfortable?

"Just a nickname," K-mart explained "I don't really like my real name,"

"I don't blame you," Spencer declared "I don't really like my name either,"

K-mart seemed to like this because she smiled brightly at Spencer. Ashley felt herself warming up to the K-mart. The younger teen seemed so comfortable with who she was. That was a big win her book as far as people went.

"I like it," Ashley stated with a small smile "You have the guts to be different,"

"Everyone's different," Chris joined in "My little sis just decided to be something extra special,"

K-mart pouted at Chris before giving Chris an overly sweet smile. Ashley could tell it was the smile of pure evil. K-mart was about to say something to Chris until Claire cut her off.

"Don't even start," Claire interfered before the brother-sister showdown could start

K-mart pouted again and muttered something close to the word killjoy under her breath while Chris just snickered at her sisters. Ashley shook her head in amusement at the classic brother-sister treatment the trio had going. It wouldn't be so awkward if Ashley, Spencer, and Alice had something to do other than watch the three siblings bicker.

"So I guess I'll get you your ice cream?" Claire suggested

"Oh I can do that," Chris offered "You girls should go find a seat somewhere,"

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked

"Positive," Chris assured with a wink

Ashley narrowed her eyes at Chris and let out an irritable sigh. She didn't like the way Chris was looking at Spencer at the least.

"Now what can I get you ladies?" Chris asked

"Cashier boy knows," Alice declared "Just say 'I want an Alice regular, an Ashley and Spencer special' then order whatever you want. He'll understand,"

"If you say so," Chris said and walked away from the group

Ashley turned her head toward Alice, who was watching Chris join the line in front of the cash register.

"Let me guess," Ashley piped up "Aiden is working today?"

"You know it," Alice sighed "Come on, let's go find a booth,"

Ashley nodded in agreement and grabbed a hold of Alice's shoulder.

"Lead the way dear booth finder," Ashley teased as she steered Alice in the way of the booth

"Will do Captain," Alice chuckled and put her hand over her eyes as if she was looking for a lost island

Ashley let Alice lead them to a booth near the back of the building. Alice stood by the edge of the half square booth and let Spencer then Ashley slide into one side. On the other side K-mart and Claire slid into the booth. Alice slid into the booth next to Claire and gave Ashley a mischievous wink.

Ashley glared at Alice from across the table. At that moment Ashley knew that Alice saw the little encounter. Alice began to snicker quietly as a conversation began to form around them. Ashley gave her a threatening look before making a slicing motion across her throat. Alice just winked at her the second a chime went off.

"Phone," Spencer announced "It wasn't mine,"

"It's mine," Alice declared

"Who's that?" Ashley asked before smirking "Did you find Princess Charming?"

Alice scoffed as she pulled out her phone "God you act like I'm seeing someone,"

"You never know," Spencer joined in, giving Alice an over dramatic wink

Alice laughed at her friend then began to look through her phone. Ashley watched as Alice's face fell. All traces of teasing and humor left the brunette's system as she watched Alice's shocked face.

"What happened?" Ashley questioned

Claire, K-mart, and Spencer all looked at Ashley before looking at Alice. Alice was ignoring them in favor of the text and it was getting under Ashley's skin.

"Alice," Ashley called harshly

The short haired blonde didn't move an inch but she did look up from her phone. Much to Ashley's dismay, the blonde face was blank.

"It's Angie's dad. I gotta go," Alice stated and stood up

"But you just got here," Chris joined in as he rounded the table with their ice cream "And I got your cone,"

Alice put her phone in her pocket and grabbed the ice cream cone from Chris. The short haired blonde pulled money out of her pocket and placed in Chris's newly freed hand.

"Thanks for buying me ice cream," Alice said to Chris then turned to the girls at the table "Nice meeting you three. I'll see you guys around,"

"Bye Alice," Spencer waved

Alice's eyes shot over to her two friends. Ashley gave her a single wave and an encouraging smile before her face became a blank canvas.

"Call me," Alice directed at Ashley and Spencer before rushing out of the parlor

No one said anything while Chris and a random worker dished out the ice cream. Once Chris took a seat at the booth, everyone glanced at the direction Alice had taken off in. The five of them watched as Alice got into her car before minding their own business.

"What was that about?" Claire asked once Alice had started her car

Ashley and Spencer shared a look. Ashley let her hesitation to speak show as she looked at Spencer. The blonde gave her a weak smile that said 'trust me' before turning back to the redhead.

"Alice is a part of this big science study to save her friend's life," Spencer informed "She spends most of her time doing research and stuff,"

"You don't say," Chris piped up, his interest suddenly peaked

"Wow," K-mart dragged out "That's so sweet of her,"

"Have they found anything?" Claire questioned, hope clear in her voice

Ashley shrugged "We haven't gotten the chance to ask her yet. But I'm sure they've gotten something by now,"

"I hope so," Claire muttered and began to eat her sundae

Ashley watched Chris from the corner of her eye as they ate. Chris's eyes were looking out the parlor's windows. His eyes were clouded over with thought as he blindly fed himself a spoon full of ice cream. Ashley's eyes went back to the bowl of ice cream she was sharing with Spencer. _I better tell Alice to keep an eye on Chris._

_~~*Alice*~~_

_I think I have found the cure. _

Could it be true? Could Dr. Ashford have found have the cure for Angela?

Alice had reread the text message again and again. Only to be sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her-thankfully they weren't.

The message made Alice happy, excited, nervous and afraid all at once. She never imagined she would feel like this. Alice always imagined herself jumping for joy, hugging everyone she saw and maybe even crying for finally being able to save her sick friend but not this. The blonde didn't expect to be afraid, full of doubts and what-ifs. Yet she knew why-she was afraid that it would not be strong enough for Angie. The younger Not only that, this could go wrong like the other experiment had. The last 'cure' had nearly given Angie a heart attack and the last gave the younger teen flu like symptoms and internal bleeding.

It had almost killed her and it had almost killed her father to see his daughter in so much pain.

Alice didn't want another scare and they couldn't afford to have any failures.

But they would encounter many and they needed to overcome them before it was too late.

Alice pulled into the gravel driveway in front of the large white building and drove into the open garage. The blonde shut off the engine and slowly got out her car. She hadn't been to the mansion since last week and it felt extremely odd to be back after practically abandoning the place. The blonde shakily approached the door to the Ashford's second mansion as she fumbled with her set of keys. When Alice was in front of the door, she pulled out the key to the mansion. Alice couldn't help but examine the gold key in the light from the sun. The blonde could never forget the day she was given the key.

_~~*Flashback*~~_

_ "Do you think the supermarket will be crowded?" Angie asked_

_Alice glanced at her friend in the passenger seat of her car. Angie was staring out the side window, her pale hands folded in her lap. Angela had been sick with a cold for the last few weeks and had yet to get better. The redhead's skin had gotten pale and clammy, her hair had lost its glorious shine and red color and Angie had purplish bags under her eyes. Alice could tell there was something else wrong with her friend but she never pushed the redhead into telling her. _

_Angie had called Alice over to take her to the supermarket and the blonde was more than willing to take her. The redhead was acting very strange in Alice's opinion. Angie wouldn't take her eyes away from the side window and her hands were holding onto each other for dear life. Alice knew Angie was nervous but what for was the mystery._

_ "If it is," Alice began slowly "Would you want me to go in for you?"_

_Angie shook her head, still refusing to look at Alice's eyes "No. you wouldn't know where to go to find it,"_

_ "Just tell me what it is and I'm sure I can sniff it out," Alice joked, trying to lighten the mood_

_It didn't work in the slightest. Angie remained silent in her seat, still watching the city go by. Alice sighed silently as she ran a hand through her hair. She didn't want what to do anymore. Angie was so shut down recently, even when she was at school. As the radio continued to fill the silence, Slut like You began to play. Alice let out a shot of laughter when she heard the beat. This would lighten Angie's mood, it always did._

_ "Hey," Alice smiled widely and turned up the radio "You still feel like singing Angie?"_

_The blonde looked at her friend as she stopped at a red light. Angie didn't respond to the question, she didn't even respond to the song blasting from the speakers. The song was Angela's ultimate favorite, she always moved around when it was on._

_ "Angie," Alice called_

_Still no response._

_ "Angie, what are you doing?" Alice chuckled and nudged the redhead_

_Angie's body limply leaned forward from the nudge. At first, Alice thought the redhead had fallen asleep until she spotted something wet dripping from Angie's hidden face._

_ "Angela," Alice panicked and reached over to turn Angie's head_

_The redhead's eyes had rolled into the back of her head and foam was seeping from her slightly parted lips. Alice's heart went into overdrive as fear coursed through her veins. The blonde unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over her friend. Alice began to shake the redhead, hoping it was just some prank Angie wanted to pull._

_ "Angela! Angela!" Alice shouted, trying to wake the redhead up_

_Tears began to form in Alice's eyes as Angela didn't respond. Alice's fingers shot to Angie's throat as she searched for a pulse. The blonde let out a cry of relief when she found Angie's pulse but she was deeply worried when she realized it was slowing down. _

God what do I do, _Alice thought frantically. The blonde thought about all the things Angie had told her about her sickness when it hit her-Angie needed her father. Alice got back into her seat and preformed an illegal U-turn. She ignored the honking horns and the shouts coming from the other drivers as she got in the way of passing cars. The blonde pressed down on the gas and sped toward Angie's house. Alice held Angie's hand in a tight grip as she maneuvered her car around the slower cars on the road._

_ "Just hold on Angie," Alice spoke to her friend_

_~~*Flashback*~~_

Alice had barely made it to the Ashford mansion to save Angie's life. The whole knocking on the door routine really took a chuck of time and life from Angie since Dr. Ashford took forever to answer the door. That was when Alice was told of Angie's condition and it was also the same day they tried the first 'cure'. The fear of that day came back to haunt Alice every night. Even though Angie was better now, there was chance of her going back into such a state.

Alice inhaled some fresh air deep into her lungs as she pushed her fears aside. She needed to be focused when she walked through the door. She needed to have a clear mind if she was going to help save Angela.

Alice put on a brave face as she put the key in the lock and opened the door. There was barely a sound to be heard in the house. The blonde was a tad bit surprised. Usually Charles was reading to Angie or the two were playing chess. But it was dead silent. It was a good thing the floors didn't creak because Alice would be making quite a ruckus.

"Hello," Alice called into the silent home as she shut the door

"Alice!" Dr. Ashford replied "Come upstairs sweetheart,"

"Alright," Alice called up to the doctor

Alice set her keys in her pocket before walking toward the big staircase. The blonde walked up the slowly as she took a look around. Alice was hoping to find Angie so she could see how the girl was fairing. Sadly, the redhead had yet to appear.

Alice continued on to the second floor and headed to Charles's study. Along the way, the blonde peered into Angie's room. As usual, the teen's room was very neat and nothing was out of place. Alice didn't have to look for long before she spotted Angie. The redhead was sleeping soundly in her bed with ear buds carefully placed in her ear. Alice smiled fondly at her friend's sleeping habit and pulled her head from Angie's room. The blonde left the door how she found it before jogging to Dr. Ashford's study.

Alice knocked on the closed door to Dr. Ashford's study and waited for his approval of entry before walking inside. The room was newly decorated. The doctor's desk was in front of two large windows that now had small bookshelves underneath them. The walls were a soothing velvet color and a hand woven Persian carpet sat in the middle of the room. It was a very worth change for a study. It gave the room a mysterious, Indian Jones movie look.

The blonde was greeted by a smiling Charles Ashford with a lit cigar in hand. Alice returned the smile and added a small waved before her face grew serious.

"I uh got your text," Alice replied as she neared the man's desk

"Yes I am aware," Charles chuckled "I think we may be onto something,"

Alice lifted an eyebrow as she leaned against the small chair in front of Charles' desk. She crossed her arms over her chest while Dr. Ashford continued to mess with his laptop.

"Have you tested it yet?" Alice questioned

"Indeed, I tested a couple of your syringes last week before you left," Charles informed as he maneuvered his wheel chair around the desk "Your creation might just be our solution,"

"You're joking," Alice guessed and began to follow the man

"Not at all," Charles assured "However, there is one small problem,"

Dr. Ashford led her to a room that was connected to the study. The walls were covered with baby blue paint and the floor was made of some type of metal. The room was a bit colder than the study and the entire ceiling was one motion censored light. The blonde acknowledged the two metal tables and the large sink area on the wall opposite of the one she walked along. The room gave Alice the creeps despite how often she dreamed of getting a horror movie modelled science lab. Charles led her to a small closet in the lab that had a black curtain over the door way. It was the one space of the lab that the motion censored light didn't touch.

Alice stared at it uncertainly when small growls came from behind the curtain. The blonde stood beside Dr. Ashford, who reached up and pulled the black curtain aside. The light inside the small, hidden section of the room turned on. The light was very dim and yellow compared to the bigger light but it displayed 12 small boxes that had been stashed away. Alice glanced at Charles, who was staring at the boxes with a blank look, before she began to approach the boxes.

"I wouldn't get to close," Dr. Ashford warned "If I were you,"

Alice turned to look at Charles "Why not?"

"They're a bit aggressive," Was all Dr. Ashford said

The blonde's brows furrowed as she turned back around. Alice took a small step closer to the boxes and peered into a random box. As her face continued to get closer, a small pink organism jumped out at her. Alice cursed loudly as she jumped back from the box. The pink organism kept trying to break out of its cage to attack Alice as the surrounding organisms began to try the same think.

Alice continued stared at the pink organisms, her face twisted with disgust and curiosity. The blonde glanced at Dr. Ashford, who was staring at the organisms with interest.

"What the fuck is that?" Alice questioned, staring at the pink, deformed organisms "A naked mole rat or something?"

"These were rats actually," Charles corrected, driving his wheel chair a bit closer to the boxes

"Rats?" Alice asked in disbelief

From what Alice could tell only a handful of the rats were alive. They were all hairless, pink, and there was a thick layer of film over their eyes. Those same rats were extremely aggressive and hi-de-ous. Some were growling-actually growling at her and Charles. The other rats were lying lifelessly in their boxes. Alice could feel her stomach twisting and turning in the most uncomfortable ways as she eyed each of the rats closely.

"Is that what I did?" Alice questioned as she was overcome with dread

"Yes," Charles replied "But you aren't looking at them all,"

Alice's brows furrowed as she watched Dr. Ashford point to a box underneath the rest. The blonde got on her knees and leaned forward so she could peer into the box. There was one small, unaffected rat that was staring at her. It looked as if it had never been injected with her 'cure' and it was much calmer than the others. The rat even came up to the plastic wall of the cage and began to sniff at it. Alice looked away from the rat and spotted the small number in the corner of the plastic box. _Number 12_, Alice repeated in her mind.

"What do you think about number 12?" Charles piped up

Alice looked down at the metal flooring before looking back at the rat. There were a lot of possibilities as to why the rat was not affected by the injection. It could be an adaptation, or he didn't get the proper dose or maybe even that he has a superior immune system.

"Well it's clearly unaffected by the 'cure' I made," Alice supplied "It didn't mutate and there's no sign of aggression. But that still leaves the question; 'why wasn't it affected',"

"Exactly," Charles stated "Are you willing to conduct a few more studies on rat number 12?"

Could she do that? Conduct studies on a rat that had already survived a lethal injection? In all actually the answer was yes. It wasn't like Alice was doing this as some sick pass time, she had a reason. Angie was the reason. The blonde was going to try to find a cure for her friend no matter what.

Alice straightened up her back and looked up at Charles. The man wore a hopeful expression on his face as he rotated the cigar around his fingers. Alice could tell he wanted the answer she would give him.

"Of course," Alice replied "Where do I begin?"

* * *

_Was this good or was it a garbage chapter? Leave a review please._


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